An examination of classical and contemporary principles of rhetorical criticism. Preparation and presentation of written analyses utilizing these principles in analyzing and evaluating rhetorical events.
Rybacki, Karyn, and Donald Rybacki. Communication Criticism: Approaches and Genres. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing company, 1991.
Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford, 1997.
Plan to make extensive use of the University Library and the Internet in research. To facilitate your inquiry, you might begin with a webpage with some research points of departure.
Attendance and class participation are required. The course motto is "To Learn and Have Fun." If you miss class, you will neither learn nor have fun. Research, once you learn how to do it well, is in fact fun and people are willing to pay you to do it. The subject matter is in some sense cumulative, which means that if you get behind, it is progressively harder and harder to catch up. Academic Penalties: My general policy in a TTh class is that more than two unexcused absences will result in lowering the course grade and more than four will result in a grade of U; I may modify or adjust these penalties for good reasons. Legitimate absences (such as a forensics trip or athletic competition) must be arranged for in advance. In any case, while you will find me understanding and flexible should you encounter some of these circumstances, you are responsible for the work of the course whether you are there or not.
There will be a midterm examination and a final examination. These examinations will be essay in format. Please bring a blue book (or two) for in class examinations.
Each student will write two papers on critical theory or a rhetorical criticism of a communication act (or movement or phenomena); however, one of the papers must be a work of rhetorical criticism.
1. The first paper is due on April 2nd, 1997.
2. The second paper is due on May 7th, 1997.
Each paper should be in the neighborhood of 6-10 typed pages. If you have the competence to do so, you may write these papers in the form of a hypertext essay placed on the Internet in your Lennon public_html directory; all scholarly research and writing requirements obtain.
For all papers written for this course, you should use either MLA or APA (see Hacker textbook). MLA is the standard for research publications in the humanities and is recommended to you for this class, but APA will be acceptable. (Our research journals in communication use both.) Papers must be written in proper form using a standard style manual appropriate for reporting communication research. The only modification that I would like you to make is that you should use the first name [& middle initial] of authors in place of the APA convention of initials only; otherwise, you may never know who B. F. Skinner really was.
In simple terms, three things are common to any criticism: (1) the description of the object to be judged, (2) an exposition of and argument for the critical standard to be employed, and (3) a judgment made in terms of that standard. What criticism is, what is it for, and how it should be done are questions that have captivated the human intellect for over 2000 years. As you will see, there is a lot going on right now.
The pedagogical method of this course is basically an on-going intellectual discussion, triggered by carefully prepared reports on important theorists and critics, topics, articles, and books. I hope we'll have many exciting and fruitful arguments this semester. For our class to be successful, everybody has to participate. You have to individually prepare for the discussions, read above and beyond the call of duty, and so forth. You have to contribute to a congenial atmosphere in which everyone can freely express their ideas and challenge the ideas of others. We are colleagues in this endeavor, allies--not adversaries.
We will also have a number of mini-critical papers to write (short, 1-2 pages) and share with the class. Sometimes these will be based on something we have all seen and heard together; sometimes the critical object will be more or less free choice but illustrating a particular approach to criticism.
A number of reports on articles/theorists/topics will be assigned to each student. Each report is essentially an oral precis of the material, supplemented by a 1-2 page handout. The secretary will assist you in duplication, but not in typing. On each handout you must put your name and a complete and accurate bibliographical citation for the source(s) of the report. (Cite the original source for reprints.)
These reports are the springboards for our discussions.
- For the oral presentation, make the report clear, interesting, and informative. Strive to be intellectually provocative. Our discussion will grow out of what you say. The length of the oral report should be 10-15 minutes. Demonstrate why you got an A in public speaking.
- The written report should be typed and duplicated so that everyone has a copy.
As if by magic, these reports are never late. Students with bubonic plague have been known to get them done on time. The report should be in the nature of a precis, an abstract, an abridgment, a condensation, a digest, an epitome, a resume, a synopsis, or a summary of the material assigned.
From Wycoff and Shaw's Harper's Handbook (3rd ed., pp. 139-142), here is something of the flavor of a report:
A precis . . . is a brief summary of the essential thought of a longer composition. It provides a miniature of the original selection, reproducing the same proportions on a smaller scale, the same ideas, and the same mood and tone, as far as possible. The maker of a precis cannot interpret or comment; his sole function is to give a reduction of the author's exact and essential meaning. Nor can he omit important details.
Precis are effective in developing capacities for careful reading, constructive thinking, and exact writing. The composition of a good precis is difficult and requires time and effort.
The description of a precis describes what your primary responsibility is in making the reports. For our purposes, that description might be modified to make additional observations and interpretations so long as this does not obscure the precis aspect of the report; you may also utilize some numbering system if such will aid in the clarity and structuring of the information. Following your report, you should be prepared to ask a few questions to get the discussion going.
A final point: Exciting discussions require a literate audience and a willingness to talk. Insofar as possible, it is a good idea for everyone to read assigned material in advance, especially for material in the textbooks.